


she don't just rain she pours

by intertwiningwords



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Mutual Pining, Potions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 09:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15191924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intertwiningwords/pseuds/intertwiningwords
Summary: that girl right there's the perfect stormor, lily and narcissa have to work together on an essay for potions.





	she don't just rain she pours

**Author's Note:**

> hi i'm gay enjoy this thanks
> 
> title from: perfect storm by brad paisley

No matter how she tried to resist, Lily always went back.

Narcissa Black was a well-known name and well-feared name around Hogwarts, everyone knowing just who her family was. However, she was nothing like either of her sisters; Bellatrix was cruel and chaos, Andromeda was soft and sweet. Narcissa was neither extremes of the spectrum. The middle child, the middle ground. She was cool-headed and quiet, poised and polite, intelligent and inquisitive. And she was beautiful on top of it all.

It all started with Potions.

Professor Slughorn was big on mixing the Houses, trying to form friendships between Gryffindor and Slytherin to break the bad connotation of his own House. He paired the students up that way, and though he’d never admit it, he also played favorites, putting the brightest students together to create masterpieces, and putting the ones who didn’t excel in Potions together to essentially create a disaster.

Lily was the best Potions student in their class, there was no doubt about it. But Narcissa was second best, and that clearly meant they would work well together, right?

He could not have been more wrong.

“It says you have to stir counterclockwise, Evans,” Narcissa said, pointing to the textbook with a clearly annoyed look on her face.

“But it’s still turning blue, so I must be doing something right,” Lily replied nonchalantly. She was never one to listen to what an ancient textbook told her to do. She had a sort of intuition when it came to Potions like she knew how to make any potion she was given with nothing but a few guidelines.

Narcissa learned from the book, but Lily liked to do things hands-on. Just another thing that set the two girls apart.

Potions became a nuisance, and they would bicker over measurements and temperatures and ingredients. And then came another one of Slughorn’s brilliant ideas of intra-house bonding.

“A partner essay,” he explained. “You and your partner will meet outside of this classroom during your free time, in the library or the grounds or wherever you all like to hang out these days and write this essay together.” 

Lily swiveled around to look at Marlene McKinnon, a silent promise that they would be partners being exchanged with their eyes in the way that best friends wordlessly knew what the other was thinking.

But no, that was too good to be true. No Professor was nice enough to let them choose partners, and especially not Slughorn. 

“Your partner assignments are as follows: McKinnon and Bones, Evans and Black...”

Of course. Marlene shot Lily an apologetic look before turning to a Slytherin girl with kinky curls to plan their essay. Lily sighed and turned back to Narcissa.

“Meet in the library, tomorrow at 3?” Narcissa asked.

"Works for me.”

“Alright then.”

And the next day, Lily found herself dreading every tick of the clock closer to three. She didn’t like to be an argumentative person, but there was just something about Narcissa that lit a sort of fire inside of her. Well, that was a weirdly  _ romantic _ way to phrase it, but it was the only description she could think of.

They met in a corner of the library hidden behind bookshelves.

To say it was awkward would be a fucking understatement. Knees barely touched beneath the table as they sat facing one another, huddled over parchment paper and whispering about techniques and uses of various potions.

Madam Pince shot them dirty looks whenever their voices raised above a certain volume, and it was surprisingly Narcissa who snapped first.

“I can’t work like this,” she said, closing her textbook. “Want to go somewhere else?”

Lily nodded with no hesitation, shoving her things into her bag as quick as she could, and the two girls hurried out of the library under the evil gaze of Madam Pince.

They agreed on a spot on the grounds beneath a tree. It was a beautiful day outside, the spring air breezy but warm, and they worked much better in an environment in which they could bicker freely in.

They met there the next day, and the day after that. But it was the fourth day of their little partner project that changed everything.

“I think we’re finally finished,” Narcissa said, grey-blue eyes scanning over the parchment with a satisfied smile.

Lily flopped back against the grass with a sigh of relief. “Finally,” she said, looking up between the branches of the tree. And to her surprise, she felt Narcissa lay down beside her, gaze following her own.

“I know I was a nightmare to work with, but you don’t have to sound so happy,” she teased, nudging Lily’s shoulder.

Lily couldn’t help but laugh. “You weren’t a nightmare. Or, at least, not totally.”

“I’m flattered, Evans,” Narcissa turned her head to grin at the redhead girl.

Lily had never seen her grin before. Smile, yes. Tight-lipped, poised, polite smiles. But her grin was wildly happy and far from poised. Her eyes lit up and her teeth were actually a bit crooked, to Lily’s surprise. She never thought a Black would have any physical flaws. It was far from a flaw in Lily’s mind though; it made her look unique and somehow prettier.

As the thought entered her mind, Lily’s cheeks flushed, but she still grinned back.

Then Narcissa looked away, fiddling with her own fingers. “Even though we’re finished, maybe we should meet here one last time? Just to, you know, make sure it’s perfect?”

And before she could stop herself and rationalize how odd of a request it was, Lily agreed.

***

Marlene and Dorcas were always on top of one another, and though Lily was happy for her friends, the constant kissing was kind of starting to drive her crazy.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she was gay,” Dorcas said, her fingers lazily tracing soft shapes into Marlene’s shoulder.

“She has a vibe,” Marlene agreed. “And she’s never dated any guys, has she?”

“Why would I know that?” Lily asked.

“Well, since you seem so obsessed with her-”

“I’m not obsessed with her!” Lily shot back instantly, her cheeks turning red at the insinuation.

“Obsessed with who?” 

Lily groaned at the familiar voice, covering her blushing face with her hands. Sirius stretched himself across the couch, throwing his long legs over Dorcas and Marlene’s laps, which they were both used to and met with no protest.

Remus, James, and Peter all sat on the couch that Lily was on, looking expectantly for her answer.

“None of your business, Black,” Lily replied, narrowing her emerald eyes at him.

Sirius just shot her back a goofy grin that somehow reminded her too much of the one Narcissa had worn earlier. Sure, they were cousins, but Narcissa and he shared no physical characteristics. Sirius was tan with black curls and dark, hooded eyes. Narcissa was pale and blonde, hair practically pin-straight and waist-length, with narrow blue eyes. But that grin...the mischief dancing in their eyes, the crooked teeth...They had that in common, and Lily averted her eyes to Peter’s knee because it was the first thing her gaze landed on.

“Does Evans have a crush?” Sirius asked Marlene, eyes wide with excitement at the prospect of something new to tease his friend about.

“More like someone has a crush on Evans,” Dorcas replied.

“Other than James you mean?” Remus piped up, and James jabbed him in the ribs as his cheeks went a little pink. It seemed James only blushed when it came to Lily, and she couldn’t help but feel a little flattered by it.

“Or Snivellus?” James added, trying to change the subject.

Lily smacked his shoulder lightly. “Don’t call him that. I may not be his friend anymore, but it doesn’t give you the right to be cruel.”

James shut up instantly.

“Well, spill already!” Sirius whined, nudging Dorcas with the toe of his shoe. “Who has their eyes on our little Lily flower?”

Lily glared daggers at him for the use of that stupid nickname he’d given her in first-year and never dropped.

“One of your cousins,” Marlene said.

“That doesn’t narrow anything down!” Peter said. “Half of Slytherin is related to him.”

Sirius nodded. “Are you gonna make me play the guessing game?”

“Yes,” Dorcas and Marlene said in unison, and Sirius groaned in response.

“Male or female?”

“Female.”

“Older, younger, or our age?”

“Older.”

“It’s not Bella, cause she’s too much of a cock sucker to go gay, even for someone as stunning as Lily-”

“No one needed to know about your cousin’s cock sucking,” Remus interrupted.

Sirius thought for another moment before his eyes lit up. “It’s Cissy, isn’t it?”

Lily went pink as Marlene nodded.

“It is! Oh, my brother owes me three Galleons, I bet she was swung that way when we were kids!” Sirius was grinning again, and he finally sat up like a civilized person. “Evans, you’re blushing.”

“No I’m not,” Lily replied defensively. “Sod off, Black.”

“You like her too, don’t you?”

“You really have a thing for Slytherins, don’t you?” Remus asked.

“She has a thing for people who hate Muggleborns too apparently,” James muttered, the conversation clearly making him angrier than he wanted to admit.

“I don’t have a  _ thing _ for anyone!” Lily cried. “Ugh, I hate you all.”

“Sure you do,” Dorcas teased.

“I’m going to bed,” Lily huffed, standing up with what little dignity she could muster. “Goodnight you pestering, obnoxious people that I regret befriending.”

“Love you, Lily!” Sirius, Marlene, and Dorcas chorused.

Lily couldn’t help but smile a little as she made her way up the stairs.

***

When Lily arrived under the tree, Narcissa was nowhere to be found. She started to worry that it had been some kind of joke. And then she saw a head of blonde hair making its way towards her, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Sorry I’m late!” Narcissa said. “Peeves kept shooting spitballs at me and I had to ditch him by hiding in a classroom,” she admitted with a light laugh.

“He did that to me last week,” Lily said. “Sometimes I wonder if hexing him would be worth the detention.”

“It so would,” Narcissa replied almost instantly. “But my parents would kill me if I got into trouble, even for something stupid like that.” She put on her best snotty voice, turning her nose up. “ _ We have a reputation to uphold, Narcissa. You can’t go running around causing trouble like some common witch. _ ”

Lily couldn’t help but giggle at the impression. “My parents couldn’t care less. They still don’t really understand the whole magic thing, so I don’t think they’d know how to handle me getting in trouble here. Wizarding school has very different rules than Muggle school does.”

Narcissa nodded. “I know my name gives me a bit of a bad reputation, but I promise I won’t like, laugh in your face or hex you if you talk about Muggle stuff. I actually find it interesting, but once again, Blacks don’t do things like that.”

And Lily nodded back.

And then they were kissing. Lily wasn’t sure who leaned in first, but all she knew was that she was kissing Narcissa Black beneath a tree in the breezy spring air, and it was fucking incredible. Her lips were soft, and her hair tickled Lily’s cheeks softly.

And when they pulled away, Narcissa’s pale cheeks were flushed a rosy shade of pink, and her mouth curled up into that silly grin that Lily adored so much.

“I think we should write Slughorn a thank you card,” she joked, and Lily burst out laughing.

***

Interlocked pinkies, grass beneath their feet, playful bickering.

Narcissa was so much more than just another Black. She was the perfect middle ground between controlled and chaos. She even made Lily feel more grounded by being beside her like if she just followed her lead, she too would be alright.

Lily liked the chaotic side much more though. The side that laughed loud and unashamedly, that let her hair get tangled and frizzy, that told jokes and kissed roughly and didn’t act like a Pureblood, a Slytherin, or a Black. She just acted like Narcissa.

And Lily loved her as nothing but herself.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! feedback is always appreciated in the form of kudos or comments. one click can make a writer's day! :)
> 
> tumblr: intertwiningwords.tumblr.com


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